Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
september/october 2015
How
did our
planet
begin?
Can you
create
your
own
luck?
What is the
perfect
diet?
BUMPER ISSUE
DO INSECTS
FEEL COLD?
What
causes
heartbreak?
THE
BEST OF
How many
liqueur chocs
will get you
drunk?
ohW sraM
g
ninniw si
o
t
ecar eht
Technology Q&As Science
?
s
r
aM
History Psychology Space and more ...
What does
YOUR
DNA
reveal?
What
is the
stupidest
experiment ever?
Who tidies up
the internet?
How is a snail
attached
to its
shell?
Focus
25/2015
braintainment@panorama.co.za
@braintainmentza
thisissue
Health
Pesky pollen
The same,
only different
25/2015
september/october 2015
p. 10
10
A Name is wrong
Hay fever is a badly chosen name, because
both hay and fever have nothing to do with
the ailment. It is actually the pollen of
fresh, flowing grass that people with hay
fever are most allergic to. And a good
second: tree pollen, especially birch. Some
Can you
create
your
own
luck?
25/2015
25/2015
11
DO INSECTS
FEEL COLD?
Best of Braintainment
Stupid
MOTIVATION
WORKS
Discovery?
Companies benefit from motivated
workers.
By whom?
BI Norwegian Business School (2010)
No-brainer?
Yes, even when the researcher tried to
present his findings with complicated
sentences like: if companies want to get
the most out of their workers, they will
profit from the creation of conditions that
will motivate their staff in the highest
possible way.
WEIGHT
WHEN YOU DIET
4 LOSE
AND DO SPORT
CHILDREN
REACT TO
SCARY STUFF
Discovery?
Children with an anxiety
disorder will stop sooner
with their activities after
watching scary movies.
This is compared to children
without anxiety disorders.
By whom?
University of Amsterdam (2010)
No-brainer?
It is if you knew what was featured
in these movies. Included in the list
of frightening objects were spiders,
Pit Bulls and needles.
How is a snail
attached
to its
shell?
WILL
6BOOZING
GET YOU DRUNK
Discovery?
High concentrations of alcohol were found
relatively often in students with the following
criteria:
1. Students who were notorious boozers.
2. Students who participated in drinking
games.
By whom?
San Diego State University (2007)
No-brainer?
Yes. Although we have to give credit to the hard
work and effort researchers put in they visited
66 student parties for their study!
Discovery?
The presence of certain toys such as
balls, bicycles and skipping ropes make
children move about.
By whom?
University of North Carolina School of
Public Health (2007)
No-brainer?
Duh!
Discovery?
Heavy-bodied ladies over the age of 50 lose
weight by dieting or doing sport. But, and here
is the really big news: they lose weight even
quicker when both strategies are combined.
By whom?
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre
(2011). Apparently, they also research other
diseases apart from cancer.
No-brainer?
Yes. And the follow-up
research is even less
promising. Researchers
now want to find out
what women have to do
decide themselves what to
to keep the weight off.
do on weekends. We also like
Braintainment has a wild
to spend time with friends
guess: a combination of
and loved ones on Saturdays
eating healthy and sport will
and Sundays. These are all
work best.
factors that make people
happy, according to bright
researchers.
2AYOUBALLPLAYMAKES
What
causes
heartbreak?
research!
ARE FUN
1 WEEKENDS
66
Discovery?
People are most happy on the
weekend.
By whom?
University of Rochester (2010)
No-brainer?
Yes, just like the reason for
this weekend effect. People
EXTRA INFO
Get more weird science
articles at braintainment.co.za/issue24
25/2015
25/2015
67
p.66
SCIENCE
SCIENCE
5 Science.ZA
HEALTH
10 Spring fever
16 Tribe mentality
HISTORY
44 Game on
DIET
SPACE
Gerard Peter
Editor-in-Chief
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
In this unpredictable
world, there are a few
certainties. Taxes
will rise, the fuel
price will increase,
technology will get
smarter and we will
continue to search
for extra-terrestrial
life forms. Another
certainty is change.
Despite the old adage
that professes if it aint
broke, dont try to fix
it, it is human nature
to want to tinker
with even the most
successful recipe. Its
all about our quest for
perfection. And that is
why, in November, we
launch a new-look Braintainment.
Rest assured, we will continue to
provide you with informative,
quirky reads on your favourite
subjects, including psychology,
history, tech, science, history and
more. We will just be doing it in a
different, more innovative way.
But wait, theres more
To show our appreciation for your
loyal readership, we are giving
you the chance to read all 25
editions of Braintainment in this
issue. How? Simply follow the
instructions on page 4 and hey
presto! You are good to go.
But before you turn the page
over, theres even more
In this issue, we bring you more
than 20 pages of questions that
you, the reader, have asked over
the years as well as the top
feature articles that got you
talking about South Africas only
popular knowledge magazine.
I certainly hope that you enjoy
the spread we have prepared for
you and look forward to your
comments about the new
approach we will be adopting
from November. We look forward
to your comments on our social
media sites, or pop a mail to
braintainment@panorama.co.za.
Enjoy your read.
44 In the beginning
Wha
intel
has
Best of Braintainment
Are you
born
lucky?
Genetic secrets
Commercial companies offer DNA analysis cheapcheap. But what can you actually do with it? Dutch
journalist Hidde Boersma had his DNA profile compiled
and investigated the phenomenon. We asked a local
genetic counsellor to comment on what the implications
of such tests would be for South Africans.
for knowledge
p. 20
Like this article?
How
did our
planet
begin?
braintainment.co.za/issue3
20
25/2015
enetic profiles
dont only
reveal serious
issues. Under
the heading
Characteristics,
theres a whole
series of features to
peruse. According to
23andME I am highly
likely to have blue
eyes (true), blonde,
wavy hair (true), and
a small propensity
towards baldness
(true thus far).
Some more hidden
characteristics also
come to light not
all of them too funny.
Boersma has known
for a while that
hes not lactoseintolerant. Ive
been eating dairy
products for years
with no problems.
And, sadly, Im not
resistant to malaria
or HIV. But my DNA
code reveals a
sensitivity to alcohol
addiction. Whether
he develops the
addiction, however,
would depend on
his education, life
experiences and
the influence of
the wrong kind of
friends. But people
who have sensitive
genes are more
likely to resort to
alcohol and drugs
when life hands
them lemons.
Fortunately, he
comes from a happy
family and has
wholesome friends.
25/2015
21
What is the
perfect
diet?
BUMPER ISSUE
THE
BEST OF
How many
liqueur chocs
will get you
drunk?
ohW sraM
g
ninniw si
ot ecar eht
?sraM
p. 46
Earths
journey
What does
YOUR
DNA
reveal?
Who tidies up
the internet?
What
is the
stupidest
experiment ever?
read more @
at makes you an
llectual and who
the highest IQ?
SPACE
braintainment.co.za/issue12
Is time
travel
possible?
46
A trip to the
future is quite
possible
p. 26
56 Winning hand
You may have a poker face and not sweat when the stakes are high,
but is luck the reason behind beating the odds or is your fate simply
out of your control?
PSYCHOLOGY
62 Fighting fit
66 Duh!
Some researchers have way too much time and money to spend on
concluding the obvious? We present the stupidest research experiments ever.
25/2015
25/2015
47
PLUS
for knowledge
INTERNATIONAL EDITION
OPERATIONS AND
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Paul Kotze
STUDIO MANAGER
Cronj du Toit
TRAFFIC AND PRODUCTION
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PICTURE EDITOR Annika Ananias, Anja Wiemken
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25/2015
science.za
Who is the boss?
It seems like
dinosaurs used their
gargantuan teeth
to lay claim to their
territory
n international team of
researchers from South Africa,
USA, UK and Italy has discovered
evidence of an unusual paint mixture
used approximately 49,000 years
ago in northern KwaZulu-Natal. The
paint mixture consisted of red
powdered ochre and casein (dried
milk protein) obtained from a wild
bovid animal.
The paint is a well-preserved
micro-residue on the edge of a small
stone flake excavated from Sibudu
Cave by Professor Wadley from the
Evolutionary Studies Institute, Wits
University.
Using chemical and elemental
analyses the researchers were able
to establish that powdered ochre was
mixed with milk in its liquid form.
However, the milk used was not from
25/2015
Q&A
HENRY ROMERO/REUTERS
25/2015
is making a comeback.
In 2006 there were
43,080 brown cars in the
Netherlands. In January
2011 this rose to 68,866.
Brown beats orange
(52,273) and pink (3,475).
SOURCE: CBS
How is a snail
attached to his
house?
Riet Klein, Harrismith
Q&A
FLASH
25/2015
Q&A
Questions & Answers
Q&A
FLASH
of a prisoner that
cartoonists have adopted
it. It is clear that we are
dealing with a prisoner
when the ball and chain
are drawn.
SHUTTERSTOCK
25/2015
Q&A
GETTY IMAGES
FLASH
Health
Pesky
10
25/2015
pollen
Hay fever hardly occurred a century ago.
Why have people suddenly started to
suffer so much since the 70s?
7 TEXT: ANOUSCHKA BUSCH
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
A Name is wrong
Hay fever is a badly chosen name, because
both hay and fever have nothing to do with
the ailment. It is actually the pollen of
fresh, flowing grass that people with hay
fever are most allergic to. And a good
second: tree pollen, especially birch. Some
11
Health
25/2015
Does grass
resemble
oranges?
SHUTTERSTOCK
Healthy
food can
be deadly
for those with
allergies.
Kissing helps
SHUTTERSTOCK
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
A Old friends
But a bored immune system is not the
only possible explanation. Contrary as
this may sound: it could also be that
some infections indirectly help our
immune system a little. From a lifesaving
aspect they suppress the immune
reactions, whereby allergic reactions
arise less quickly generally. Our immune
system has gotten used to the fact that
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
Fast facts
In South Africa we dont often see the silver
birch tree cross-allergies that happen when you
eat certain fruits like apples, pears, cherries and
hazelnuts. This is, however, very prominent in
Western Europe.
Up to 20% of the South African population
suffers from seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis
(hay fever).
Pollen spikes at certain times of the year. In
early spring (late August) we start with tree
pollen. This is followed by a big surge in long grass
pollen from September to February. Weed pollens
follow in late summer and fungal/mould spores
(less problematic) can be seen in autumn.
certain microbes and parasites are
present in our body according to this old
friend hypothesis. It has gotten used to
the fact that allergic reactions are
regulated by their presence. If you
remove the infections, then the number
of people with allergies will rise.
Whether this is really the explanation for
the increase in allergies still remains to
be seen. The problem is also that
research is often contradicting. From
some studies it appears, for example, that
having measles at a young age has a
positive effect on allergies. But most
research shows that it makes no
difference. We will have to wait a little
longer for a definite answer. Savelkoul:
At this moment we still know too little
about the changes in the immune system
and the underlying mechanism with
allergies in general and hay fever in
particular. 7
braintainment@panorama.co.za
25/2015
13
Acquire
brown fat
Forget extreme diets and sweaty gym sessions. There could be scientific
ways to lose weight in the future. Heres a look at 4 ways researchers
believe might help you shed those unwanted kilograms.
Best of Braintainment
Blame the
virus
Eat water
mayonnaise
braintainment.co.za/issue6
read more @
Paralyse
your brain
EXTRA INFO
Culture
The native
truth
First, Westerners mistook them for being Indians from Asia. Propaganda, thanks
mainly to Hollywood, had us thinking that they had names such as Dances with
Wolves and used monosyllabic words such as ugh. However, this is a far cry
from what Native American people were. Heres the truth.
7 TEXT: BERRY OVERVELDE
War cries
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
25/2015
GETTY IMAGES
Scalp collectors
17
CORBIS/HH
Culture
No, these are not wigwams. The ladies are erecting their tepees.
25/2015
All tribes
camped
4
SHUTTERSTOCK
A feather in
your hair?
7
BRIDGEMAN/HH
Almost extinct
EXTRA INFO
19
Best of Braintainment
20
25/2015
Genetic secrets
Commercial companies offer DNA analysis cheapcheap. But what can you actually do with it? Dutch
journalist Hidde Boersma had his DNA profile compiled
and investigated the phenomenon. We asked a local
genetic counsellor to comment on what the implications
of such tests would be for South Africans.
7 TEXT: HIDDE BOERSMA, ANSIE VICENTE
issues. Under
the heading
Characteristics,
theres a whole
series of features to
peruse. According to
23andME I am highly
likely to have blue
eyes (true), blonde,
wavy hair (true), and
a small propensity
towards baldness
(true thus far).
Some more hidden
characteristics also
come to light not
all of them too funny.
Boersma has known
for a while that
hes not lactoseintolerant. Ive
been eating dairy
products for years
with no problems.
And, sadly, Im not
resistant to malaria
or HIV. But my DNA
code reveals a
sensitivity to alcohol
addiction. Whether
he develops the
addiction, however,
would depend on
his education, life
experiences and
the influence of
the wrong kind of
friends. But people
who have sensitive
genes are more
likely to resort to
alcohol and drugs
when life hands
them lemons.
Fortunately, he
comes from a happy
family and has
wholesome friends.
25/2015
21
Where do I
come from?
o determine where
Boersmas moms
T
ancestors come from,
knowing all this stuff about your DNA dangerous? What if it lands in
the wrong hands? Like those of medical aid or life insurance companies?
IDosnt
you have to pay a higher premium if you have bad DNA? In South Africa,
Smoking has a
greater influence
on your health
than a tiny fault
in your DNA.
25/2015
23
braintainment@panorama.co.za
EXTRA INFO
Local sites for genetic testing
www.geneticcounselling.co.za
Kinsleys website
www.dnalysis.co.za and
www.gknowmix.co.za
24
25/2015
Best of Braintainment
Beating
the clock
Imagine if you had the ability to travel through time. You could
go back and see yourself as a toddler, or you could journey to the
future to see the value of your shares in 10 years time. But how
do you do that? Is it impossible or just very difficult?
7 TEXT: MARC KOENEN
26
25/2015
MIKE AGLIOLO/CORBIS
n old television
programmes, it was always
very dark in space. The
spaceships from the series
Star Trek journeyed, where no
man had ventured, more than
half a century ago, and all you
could see was darkness broken
only by a handful of bright spots.
These bright lights were usually
stars or planets that the 23rdcentury crew was travelling to.
Subsequent series were very
different from those of
yesteryear. The 2010 movie
version of the sci-fi series was full
of colourful clouds, fast-flying
comets and close-ups of brightly
lit stars. This wasnt only because
of the bigger budget and
technological advances, but also
because new telescopes gave a
very different view of space. This
was greatly down to photos taken
by the Hubble telescope. Now,
movies depict spacecrafts of the
future zooming past exploding
stars and along planetary mists
that are shown in all the colours
of the rainbow.
Its worth noting that every
image of the future shown on
screen indicates the time when it
was made. For example, the first
episodes of Star Trek have
furniture and hairstyles of the
crew in line with fashion of the
60s. Even the equipment, with
psychedelic turning lights, was
taken from that era. Things will
look very different in the 23rd
century. How so? To get to know
that, you have to make a trip to
the future. And that is less
science fiction than you think.
A Blast off
The fundamentals for a
scientifically possible time trip
come from Albert Einstein.
Nobody had a clue as to how you
could make a trip into the future
before Einstein published his
theory of relativity in 1905.
Einstein couldnt carry out the
solution that he devised, but
nowadays there is nothing
strange about it: just take a trip
through space. Your rocket is
your time machine; just dont
expect to be forwarded 300 years
with a snap of your fingers like
we often see in sci-fi movies. It
takes time to land in the future.
The trick is to speed up your life,
which is your present journey to
the future.
0
25/2015
27
Science
If you travel
fast enough,
you will land
up in the
future
0 You now live one second per
second. To see the future, you
have to live up to a 150th of a
second. Then you will be able to
fast-track to the future, and the
best way to do that is with a
really fast spaceship. Russian
Cosmonaut Joeri Gagarin was
the first man to orbit around the
Earth in 1961. Never before had
anyone gone faster. And at that
moment, no one had gone
further into the future. All right,
Gagarin didnt get very far, the
other earthlings were only a
nano-second ahead of him after
landing. More was not possible
with his Vosto rocket.
We need a faster spaceship to get
further into time. It has to be a
spaceship that gets close to the
speed of light, almost 300,000km
per second. Present-day
read more @
braintainment.co.za/issue6
What does a wormhole look like? We dont know. Is it too small for the smallest
spaceship to pass through or large enough to gulp up Earth? We have no idea.
ALAN W. RICHARDS/HH
I never think
about the future.
It will be here
soon enough.
Albert Einstein
(1879-1955),
German scientist
28
25/2015
SPL/ANP
A clock in a moving train keeps time by bouncing a light pulse between 2 mirrors. On the left, the clock as
seen by a passenger in the train: the pulse moves up and down (vertically). On the right, the same clock
seen from the outside of the train along the tracks: the pulse zigzags. Outside, you see the pulse travel a
greater distance and this will make the clock in the train seem slower than a clock outside the train.
RIA NOVOSTI/HH
Joeri Gagarin, the first man in space, landed a nano-second in the future.
25/2015
29
Science
30
25/2015
EYEVINE/HH
Neutrinos are
too fast
braintainment@panorama.co.za
www.livescience.com/16207-fasterlight-discovery-time-travel.html: Is time
travel possible?
Doctor Who: Series about a doctor who
uses a machine, called a TARDIS, to
journey through time.
25/2015
31
Q&A
Questions & Answers
Q&A
FLASH
A An ejaculation of a
man contains about
half a teaspoon of
sperm (3m).
A An ejaculation
contains mainly seed
fluid. Sperm cells
form 1% at the most.
A Seed fluid feeds
the seed cells, gives
them energy and
protects them
against hostile cells
and the low pH in
the vagina.
A A seed cell can
move forward at a
speed of 3 to 4mm
per minute.
Is it possible to
make a working
plastic gun with a
3D printer?
32
25/2015
SHUTTERSTOCK
MEDI-MATION/SPL/ANP
Q&A
FLASH
here is no
organisation that
searches the web for
unused sites. Sometimes
a site disappears
because the owner takes
it down. There are times
when a whole lot of
sites disappear because
25/2015
33
Q&A
Questions & Answers
How quickly
do mountains
erode?
Julian Rodgers, Benoni
ne bite is normally
enough for a
O
mosquito, according to
High mountains
erode quickly,
but this French
Alp will be
around for a
while.
Q&A
ater is a
conduit
W
between oxygen and
FLASH
Only female
mosquitoes bite. They
need the blood for the
production of eggs.
A Men are more often
bitten than women.
A Pregnant women are
more often bitten.
A Mosquitoes are more
attracted to dark than
light clothing.
A
34
25/2015
hydrogen. These
are 2 elements that
are plentiful in the
universe and react
easily. There should
be lots of water on
planets in theory. This
is partially true, but
mostly in the form of
water vapour, which
is a gas. As far as we
know, Earth is the only
planet that has water
in liquid form. This is
because we have the
right temperature and
Is it possible to open
the door of an
aeroplane
during the
flight?
Jupiter
FLASH
The presence of
liquid water is seen as
a condition for (alien)
life.
A In 2009, water was
discovered in the form
of ice on our moon.
A 70% of the Earth's
surface is covered by
water.
A 97% of all the water
is in the oceans.
A
Sun
Mercury
Earth
Venus
Goldilocks Zone
Mars
25/2015
35
Q&A
-9
-6
-8
-7
-5
-4
-3:30
-6
-8
-10
-5
25/2015
-8:30
-6
+1
+4
+2
-4
+5
+10
+3
+12 +13
+8
+6
+5
+2 +4
+4:30
+3 +3:30
+5:45 +8
+5:30 +6:30
+7
+2
+8
+3
+7 +8
-3
-3
+3 +4
+11
+10
+8 +9:30 +10
+11 +12
+13
+12
MISCHA KEIJSER/HH
-10
BSIP/HH
+13
-4
+1
+1
0
-9:30
+1 +2
+9
ARENDA OOMEN/HH
ou pre-heat an
oven to ensure that
the dish remains at the
same temperature during
the cooking process.
Pre-heating also makes
it easy to select the
optimal temperature
because the time it takes
to heat up one oven often
differs from another.
Also, different chemical
processes take place
at higher temperatures.
A pizza will never get a
crispy crust if you bake
it at low temperatures.
Even baking at low
temperatures for the
first few minutes can
influence the end result.
A cake or souffl will
never rise beautifully.
With a stew or a
vegetable dish, it doesnt
make much difference.
Just keep a watch on it
till its done.
25/2015
37
SERGE KOZAK/CORBIS
SHUTTERSTOCK
What distance is
a rainbow away
from the person
who sees it?
Q&A
Q&A
FLASH
Catholic priest
has his confession
A
heard by another priest
confession of another
priest. Pastors, bishops,
cardinals and popes
have this authority
because they have ex
officio status. Other
priests can be granted
the same permission by
the church. Also, priests
dont have to confess
38
25/2015
SEBASTIEN AGNONA
Rainbow
White solar light
unites all
colours of the
rainbow.
Q&A
FLASH
will move as you walk towards it. So you cant tell where the rainbow is, only where the
source of it is. When it is drops of a sprinkler then you can be quite accurate. With rain
this is more difficult. It could be drops that fall right in front of you, but also drops that
are located a few kilometres away.
25/2015
SHUTTERSTOCK
GETTY IMAGES
39
Q&A
Questions & Answers
Q&A
FLASH
30 years of space
shuttles came to an
end after the landing
of Atlantis on 21 July
2011.
A The crew of the ISS
see sunrise and
sunset 16 times
per day.
A The station is
darkened at set
times to keep the
day/night rhythm.
A
25/2015
How many
liqueur
chocolates
do you
have to eat
to go over
the legal
limit?
Anna Thulsee,
Bloemfontein
he short answer:
a whole lot. A
T
liqueur chocolate
CORBIS/HH
it more recognisable. If
you are shopping for toilet
paper, chances are that
you will buy the same
brand all the time and you
usually recognise it by the
pictures on the rolls.
he simple answer is
that it looks a bit
nicer than just plain white
toilet paper. It also makes
Is it possible to generate
electricity by working out
in a gym?
Jayson Dudley, Midrand
GETTY IMAGES
FLASH
Q&A
Q&A
FLASH
25/2015
41
Q&A
Questions & Answers
RELAXIMAGES/CORBIS
Why do we like
fizzy drinks?
42
25/2015
FLASH
American
soldiers at the
hairdresser in
World War I.
Q&A
DOUGLAS JOHNS/CORBIS
Why do dolphins
like to swim
alongside boats?
Denver Hobbs, Durban
olphins like to ride on the bow wave. This is the wave that forms at the
bow of a boat when it moves through the water. You can compare this
D
with surfers who ride a wave. A dolphin has the perfect shape, just like a
Q&A
surfboard, to be taken along on a surf wave. They dont do this to get to their
destination quicker. They just want to have fun. They use the speed of the
wave to make jumps and tumbles. The dolphins will alternate places for the
best spot on the wave when they are in a pod.
FLASH
Cold-blooded insects
need less food. Thats
because they dont
need energy to keep
themselves warm.
A Bees are cold-blooded
but are able to generate
warmth themselves
by vibrating their wing
muscles.
A Honey bees lower the
temperature of their
hives by fanning cooler
air inside.
A
43
Best of Braintainment
END
of
exercise
Some sports we know only from books or movies; they died an early
death. Why dont we play them anymore? Were they too complicated,
too violent, too humiliating and inhuman or simply impractical?
7 TEXT: ANTJE VELD
Gladiator fights
Dwarf tossing
Played where and when? Dwarf tossing aka dwarf throwing was
popular in the 80s and 90s of the 20th century. It was played in
Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the USA, France and England.
The rules? People, who are shorter than 1.45 metres, dress
in protective gear. Then someone throws them as far as
possible usually onto mattresses or some other soft spot. The
person who throws the dwarf the furthest wins. The sport was
particularly popular in bars. In 1986, a world championship was
held. The team from England won.
Downfall? In the early 90s, the French Council of State (legal
advisor to the government) started questioning the sport. Isnt
it an attack on human dignity? He wanted to ban dwarf tossing.
But Manual Wackenheim, at 1.14 metres tall, opposes the ban.
He earns his living as a projectile and insists on his right to
work. The judiciary agrees. The case draws a lot of attention. In
the US, the Little People of America movement opposes dwarf
tossing. In 2002, the UN ends the discussion: they declare
dwarf tossing inhuman and put a stop to it. Completely.
What else? An alternative to dwarf tossing is dwarf bowling. The
little person wears protective gear with a handle on the back.
In the process, hes transformed into something like a bowling
ball. Put him on a skateboard and hes pushed towards small
bowling pins down an improvised bowling alley. Unsurprisingly,
this sport has also been banned.
44
25/2015
Palm tennis
Curious?
braintainment.co.za/issue2
Running on water
Played where and when? The
extraordinary sport was practiced in
the 17th and 18th centuries. This was
mainly aboard various trade ships
belonging to the VOC fleet (Vereenigde
Oost-Indische Compagnie aka Dutch
East Indies Company).
The rules? The ships of the VOC
traverse the world. But their ability to
travel is tied to the wind. Sometimes
it happens that ships stand still, either
due to wind from the wrong direction,
or simply due to a complete lack of
wind. To keep the crews occupied,
captains organise onboard sports
tournaments. The sailors have, for
instance, to complete a course
running with a bag of flour around
their necks. The grand prize? The
fastest runner wins a piece of fruit or
an extra tot of alcohol.
Downfall? Towards the end of the
18th century, the VOCs fortunes
take a turn for the worse. Wars and
hile sports may die out, new forms of competition are forever
evolving. Since 2000, for instance, weve had mobile phone
W
throwing. Its a sport in which participants throw mobile phones and
SOURCES: DE KLOTEN VAN DE KEIZER, HEIN MEIJERS, CONTACT (2010), GLADIATOREN, FIK
MEIJER, ATHENAEUM POLAK&VAN GENNEP (2004), SPORTGESCHIEDENIS.NL, HTTP://TINYURL.
COM/66LA8E, SMITHSONIAN.COM, HTTP://TINYURL.COM/5VZSJM5, WIKIPEDIA.COM.
Best of Braintainment
Earths
journey
For all we know its always been there. However, Earth
has, in fact, only existed for around 4.56 billion years. Our
planet did not exist for the first 9 billion years after the Big
Bang. How did it become the planet we know today?
7 TEXT: ELLY POSTHUMUS
46
25/2015
read more @
braintainment.co.za/issue12
25/2015
47
Space
ur planet consists of
numerous heavy elements
O
such iron and oxide. These
elements arose once in stars.
The core of a star changes
hydrogen, which has its origin
in the Big Bang, into other
elements. Fusion makes
this possible, by fusing the
cores of atoms. From here,
other heavier elements arise.
Hydrogen is mainly converted
into helium in stars. A lot
of energy is released in this
process. Hydrogen depletes
as the stars age. Big stars can
convert helium into oxygen
and carbon. These elements
can melt together to form
even heavier elements in even
bigger stars. When these old,
enormous stars explode at the
end of their life, even heavier
elements arise. Everything
is then thrown into space
during such an explosion or
supernova. New stars and
planets can arise from this
floating matter.
JHU/ESA/NASA
25/2015
Giant birth
ur solar system doesnt only have Earth-like planets but also the gaseous giants
Jupiter and Saturn. It is not certain how these planets were formed. The genesis
O
of a gaseous giant is probably the same as that of Earth and other terrestrial planets.
Matter particles with heavier elements clumped together to a form a large ball. No
gas was present then. Gravity became stronger as the planet increased in size. When
the planet grew large enough, about 10 times the mass of Earth, the gravity was
enough for the celestial body to not only attract solid particles, but also gas. Hence,
the gaseous planets have a rock core, but the largest part of the mass consists of
gaseous hydrogen and helium.
ESO
Everything
is star matter
JPL-CALTECH/NASA
MARK GARLICK/SPL/ANP
Radioactive
clock
e can determine
the age of rocks on
W
Earth and of meteorites by
49
Space
NASA
Layer
of air
e need oxygen to
live. Fortunately,
W
there is quite a bit
50
25/2015
Old rubble
A Earth is
not alone
braintainment@panorama.co.za
HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
rock fragments have never melted and still have the exact
composition they had during the formation of our solar
system. The oldest of these rock fragments are 4.56 billion
years old. And because they appeared at the same time as
Earth, we know that the Earth has to be the same age.
The young Earth already had water during the warming at its birth.
This landed in the early atmosphere and gravity kept it in place.
The water condensed when Earth cooled off and the oceans arose.
Another theory is that most of the water that Earth created during its
formation escaped into the atmosphere. The water would then have
arrived later via comet, after Earth had already cooled off.
EXTRA INFO
http://exoplanet.eu: a website
with all (up till now) discovered
planets in a row.
Tinyurl.com/aardeterwereld: An
animated documentary about the
birth of our planet.
25/2015
51
Space
Cowboys to
Mars
ANP
25/2015
Old fantasies
0
25/2015
53
Space
A Lots to do still
And then? Then they go to Mars. With
what? They still need a launch rocket.
And a spaceship in which the crew will
travel to Mars. And a device to land with
AFP/ANP
A Couple to Mars
So can we go to Mars on a smaller scale?
Yes, that is possible. The Inspiration
Mars Foundation, led by American
billionaire Dennis Tito (who stayed in
the ISS as a paying tourist for a week in
2001), wants to build a spaceship in
which a couple can make a flight to/orbit
Mars. In 501 days, to be precise. And no
one-way tickets: the couple will just
return to Earth after their trip. Sounds
Mars calendar
AFP/ANP
Exomars
WHEN? 2016 and 2018
BY WHOM? Russia and Europe
WHAT WILL HAPPEN? They first
want to place a satellite in orbit
around Mars. Then robot
landers will be lowered to the
surface. A rover will be brought
to Mars 2 years later that will
search for signs of (past) life. It
is not quite certain if the rover
will go to Mars.
braintainment@panorama.co.za
ozens of unmanned
spacecrafts have been
D
launched for Mars since the
start of the 60s. But the
percentage of failures is
incredibly high: more than
half of the missions did not
end well. Talk of the curse
of Mars is not for nothing.
unreachable.
1996: The launch of the
Russian Mars 96 fails.
1998: The Japanese Nozomi
probe fails on the way to
Mars.
1999: The American Mars
Climate Orbiter lands in too
low an orbit around Mars
and is lost.
1999: Contact with
American Mars Polar Lander
is lost.
2003: The European probe
Beagle 2 disappears for
unknown reasons when it
has to land on Mars. It is
photographed at the
beginning of 2015 by a
Mars 2020
WHEN? 2020
BY WHOM? United States
WHAT WILL HAPPEN? A rover
will look for traces of (early/
past) life and do geological
research.
EXTRA INFO
www.mars-one.com: the organisation of
Mars One.
www.inspirationmars.org: everything about the
Inspiration Mars Mission.
55
Best of Braintainment
Lady
Do we get rich or go bankrupt? Do we arrive home safely or have an
accident? Wed like to think we have a measure of control but we forget
that someone else is pulling the strings. Lady Luck.
7 TEXT: TONIE MUDDE
56
25/2015
read more
braintainment.co.za/issue2
25/2015
57
Psychology
25/2015
We present: Ashley
Revell. This British
chancer bet his
entire fortune on
one go at the
roulette table.
Want to throw a 5 or 6?
Youre likely to roll the dice
harder than when you want
to throw a 1 or 2.
Extreme
coincidence?
Another way
of succumbing
to the illusion
of control is
undergoing
preventative
medical
screenings. We
hope to get an
assurance of our
health. The idea is that these
screenings can save your life
through early detection of
medical conditions. This does
happen but, as the authors of
Dance with Chance point out,
the tests can sometimes do
more harm than good. Theres
always the chance of a falsepositive result. Youre told that
25/2015
59
Psychology
Boy or girl?
s:
Different strokells,
ce
even as sperm than
r
e
st
men are fa
women
60
25/2015
thats kinda useful for his new paintings. Other creative careers
also rely to some extent on the whimsical nature of chance, cleverly
transformed. For instance, by choosing a random picture out of a
stack during a company brainstorming session. The unexpected
stimuli ensure that set thinking patterns are broken. This increases
the chance of a new idea coming to light. Using chance as a strategy
can also improve your social life. If you chat to only your own friends
at a party, youre not really going to hear anything new. So instruct
yourself to speak to every person who is wearing red. Its guaranteed
to be an evening of interesting meetings
to someone somewhere
sometime soon.
A Useful coincidence
Do we have any say at all? Or
should we just stop planning
ahead because chance will
decide everything in any case?
Relax. Its not that bad. Merely
by considering all the variables,
we do make better decisions.
For example, ask the doctor on
duty what the chances are of
having a false positive test
result. Or, when presenting a
budget, dont just present one
set of figures but also make
provision for a best and worst
case scenario.
The English chancer Ashley
Revell thought long and hard
about the consequences of
waging his entire existence on
one bet at the roulette table.
The 136,000 US dollars is a lot
of money. But on the other
braintainment@panorama.co.za
EXTRA INFO
http://tinyurl.com/AshleyRevell
Video of Ashley Revells
amazing bet
http://probability.
infarom.ro/ Online
guide to probability
for nonmathematicians
25/2015
61
Best of Braintainment
Fighting
fit
62
25/2015
Travel tension
No mercy
63
Psychology
A Dont blame
It is easier to explain better
once you have calmed down.
So how do we make sure a fight
does not escalate out of hand?
Make sure that you know what
the argument is about and stick
to it. Kluwer: Quite often,
when people fight, they involve
all sorts of other issues (that
are still lingering) from the
past into that argument. Thats
no good. Just focus your
There is always a
suitable weapon at
a birthday party.
criticism on the behaviour of
the other person and not
directly at the person. For
example, if your girlfriend
decides that she has to quickly
fix her make-up or change into
another outfit, while you have
been ready for the last half
Ready to fight
64
01/2012
25/2015
Angry men
earn more?
G
read more @
braintainment.co.za/issue3
EXTRA INFO
http://www.psychologies.co.uk/tests/
how-do-you-deal-with-conflict-in-yourrelationship/
Put your relationship to the test
http://www.relationshipheadquarters.
com/ Sound relationship advice
With or without
flowers, it helps to
say sorry after a
fight. Make sure
you take
responsibility
for your actions.
braintainment@panorama.
co.za
25/2015
65
Best of Braintainment
Stupid
research!
A BALL MAKES
YOU PLAY
Discovery?
The presence of certain toys such as
balls, bicycles and skipping ropes make
children move about.
By whom?
University of North Carolina School of
Public Health (2007)
No-brainer?
Duh!
MOTIVATION
WORKS
Discovery?
Companies benefit from motivated
workers.
By whom?
BI Norwegian Business School (2010)
No-brainer?
Yes, even when the researcher tried to
present his findings with complicated
sentences like: if companies want to get
the most out of their workers, they will
profit from the creation of conditions that
will motivate their staff in the highest
possible way.
Discovery?
Heavy-bodied ladies over the age of 50 lose
weight by dieting or doing sport. But, and here
is the really big news: they lose weight even
7 TEXT: TONIE MUDDE / ILLUSTRATIONS: BARBARA MOGET
quicker when both strategies are combined.
By whom?
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Centre
(2011). Apparently, they also research other
diseases apart from cancer.
No-brainer?
Yes. And the follow-up
research is even less
promising. Researchers
now want to find out
Discovery?
what women have to do
decide themselves what to
People are most happy on the
to keep the weight off.
do on weekends. We also like
weekend.
Braintainment has a wild
to spend time with friends
By whom?
guess: a combination of
and loved ones on Saturdays
University of Rochester (2010)
eating healthy and sport will
and Sundays. These are all
No-brainer?
work best.
factors that make people
Yes, just like the reason for
happy, according to bright
this weekend effect. People
researchers.
66
LOSE WEIGHT
WHEN YOU DIET
AND DO SPORT
25/2015
WEEKENDS
ARE FUN
CHILDREN
REACT TO
SCARY STUFF
Discovery?
Children with an anxiety
disorder will stop sooner
with their activities after
watching scary movies.
This is compared to children
without anxiety disorders.
By whom?
University of Amsterdam (2010)
No-brainer?
It is if you knew what was featured
in these movies. Included in the list
of frightening objects were spiders,
Pit Bulls and needles.
BOOZING WILL
GET YOU DRUNK
Discovery?
High concentrations of alcohol were found
relatively often in students with the following
criteria:
1. Students who were notorious boozers.
2. Students who participated in drinking
games.
By whom?
San Diego State University (2007)
No-brainer?
Yes. Although we have to give credit to the hard
work and effort researchers put in they visited
66 student parties for their study!
EXTRA INFO
Get more weird science
articles at braintainment.co.za/issue24
25/2015
67
Q&A
Questions & Answers
How does
cough syrup
work?
Tyrone Jacob, Midrand
and expectorants.
Antitussives block the cough
reflex, mostly present with a
dry cough. The expectorant
will help you more with a
phlegmy cough. This will
make the cells in your lungs
secrete more moisture.
This moisture will dilute the
phlegm, thereby making
it easier to cough up and
out. However, it is unlikely
that cough syrup is really
effective. In 2008, an article
in the US journal, Scientific
American, argued that there
is no proof that cough syrup
is any stronger or
more effective than a
placebo.
Why do dogs
stick their
heads out of
the window of
a moving car?
JP Nienaber, via email
PLAINPICTURE/HOLLANDSE HOOGTE
68
25/2015
FLASH
Q&A
dog has more than a million scent receptor cells located in the nose and roof of its
A
mouth. Its sense of smell can provide information about the world at large. When a
dog sticks its head out of a car window, it gains a great deal of information through the
many scents that fly by its nose during a car ride.
Another obvious reason is that the cool breeze created by the moving vehicle is
refreshing. Just as we humans enjoy a little wind in our faces, so do our furry canine
friends. Perhaps the most compelling reason for a dog to hang his head out of the
window is the fact that a dogs sense of smell, which has proven far superior to that of
humans, is a means of learning about its environment. After all, dogs are intelligent
animals that use their eyes and noses to explore the world around them.
Although a dog can truly enjoy the experience, sticking its head out the window makes
it susceptible to injury from insects, birds, flying stones and other debris. There is even
the potential for injury from an object on another vehicle, a sign or branch.
Q&A
FLASH
to do so using octopus
ink. The acidity in the ink
will destroy the paper in
due course.
Most males
prefer leggy
females.
omen usually
wear high heels
W
because it makes their
25/2015
69
Q&A
Questions & Answers
25/2015
FLASH
JAN BOEVE/HH
Can a woman in a
coma deliver a
healthy baby?
Q&A
JPS/MMR/REUTERS
GEOFF DU FEU/GETTY
Birds of a feather
and dialect prefer
to flock together.
Q&A
JOSEF LINDAU/CORBIS
FLASH
25/2015
71
Q&A
Questions & Answers
BOB SACHA/CORBIS
IMAGE SOURCE/CORBIS
25/2015
before everything
works well again.
This is different
for every person. It
also depends on the
sleep phase that you
have awoken from.
When you wake up
suddenly from a
deep sleep, you will
have more problems.
The cause of this
sleep inertia or
sleep drunkenness
is unknown. One
theory is that it
has to do with the
neurotransmitter
adenosine. This
substance gives you
that sleepy feeling.
The remnants of
adenosine still have
to be broken down
when you wake up
suddenly and this
usually takes a few
minutes.
SHUTTERSTOCK
Q&A
t is a misconception that
looking at a screen for a
long time is harmful to your
eyes. The only thing that
could happen is that the
muscles around your eyes get
FLASH
Watching television
might not cause any
damage to your eyes,
but it is unhealthy.
A Children who watch
too much television
are on average fatter
and perform poorly
at school.
A This is not caused by
the television-watching
in itself, but because
the children spend
less time exercising
and learning.
SHUTTERSTOCK
25/2015
73
Q&A
Questions & Answers
74
25/2015
Can
someone
with a donor
organ become
a donor himself
when he dies?
Pascal Schutte, Cape Town
Q&A
FLASH
In South Africa,
there are more than
3,500 people waiting
for organ
transplants,
according to the SA
Organ Donor
Foundation.
If youve been
weightless, you
become very
aware of how
much the Earth
pulls at you.
he short answer:
because we get
hungry again about 4 to 5
hours after our last meal.
The time frame varies
according to the climate
and how much physical
labour you have to do. In
northern countries, people
tend to eat much more
than in southern countries.
Because its colder in the
north, you work through the
available energy in food
much faster. In earlier
times, labourers
urricanes are
named by the
World Meteorological
Organisation (WMO).
The WMO has lists of 6
names per letter of the
alphabet. The first
hurricane of the season
gets a name that starts
with the letter A
Andrew, Alex or Ana, for
instance. The next
hurricane gets a name
that starts with a B, and
so on. A male name is
followed by a female
name, and the letters Q,
U, X, Y and Z arent
exceptions. If a hurricane
has been particularly
destructive, or claimed
victims, the name is not
repeated. In 2005, the
Q&A
FLASH
Depending on its
location and
strength, a tropical
cyclone is referred to
by names such as
hurricane, typhoon,
tropical storm,
cyclonic storm,
tropical depression,
or simply cyclone.
A The word hurricane
comes from the word
Hunrakan, the name
of the Mayan storm
god.
A
25/2015
75
Q&A
76
25/2015
Q&A
FLASH
Karl Kruszelnicki
won the Ig Nobel
Prize with his
research.
A This counterpart to
the Nobel Prize is
awarded to research
that first makes you
giggle and then gets
your mind going.
A Other winners have
included research
into frogs that float,
necrophiliac ducks
with homophiliac
tendencies, and
non-drip tea pots.
A The record holder
navel fluff collector
is the Australian
Graham Barker. His
navel collects
around 3,03
milligrams of fluff
every day.
A
d3.856 h
essentially bacterial
viruses. They consist of an
angular head attached to a
type of grappling hook. It
looks surprisingly like the
grappling hooks were used
to seeing in those little
glass gambling machines to
win a teddy bear or watch.
They use it to hook onto the
bacterium and puncture it.
Bacteriophages are about
0,2 micrometres (0,0002
millimetres) big, which is
about 50 times smaller
than the average bacterium.
Just like viruses, there are
many different
bacteriophages. They all
have different effects on
the bacteria they infect.
Some kill the bacteria
directly after invasion by
starting immediate cell
renovations. Others sit
quietly in a corner and wait
for the bacteria to die
before they become active.
Q&A
77
Next
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All you wanted to know about history, science, psychology,
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PAGE
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N
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S
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H
IG
L
H
THIS ISSUES HIG
Pestering pollen
Why are more people suffering from hay
fever than ever before? Page 10
A people maligned
Addressing the untruths about Native
Aamerican tribes. Page 16
In the
beginning
The journey of the Earth.
Page 48
Jackpot
Does luck exist or are you
simply a master of your
own destiny? Page 56
Plus
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PLUS
more of your
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Hay fever
Plus:
Red
Planet
calling
Why are we so
keen to settle
on Mars?
What
causes
heartbreak?